Clive Mendonca's 73rd-minute penalty kept Charlton's automatic Division One promotion ambitions alive - but brave Port Vale will be kicking themselves for wasting a hatful of chances and coming away pointless from a 1-0 home defeat.

Mendonca easily converted from the spot, after Danny Mills was flattened by Allen Tankard and Jan Jansson, to keep up the pressure on Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Co.

Vale came out with all guns blazing, and their top scorer Lee Mills was guilty of one of the misses of the season in the fourth minute.

Gareth Ainsworth and Tony Naylor opened the door for Mills, who ballooned the ball over the bar with an empty net at his mercy.

Charlton's defending was desperate as Jansson's cross came back off a post, and then Ainsworth ran the visitors ragged before Sasa Ilic came to the rescue.

Mills wasted another glorious opportunity when he failed to make proper contact with Jansson's cross, Vale's dominance unrelenting throughout.

Referee Eddie Wolstenholme spoke to both captains after a fracas followed a Stewart Talbot shot blocked on the line by Mills.

Charlton continued to hold on miraculously as Ilic spread himself to deny Naylor.

Athletic survived until the interval and made a brighter start to the second half, with Mark Kinsella's corner headed off the line by Dean Glover.

Home goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite was forced into his first serious save when Mendonca broke free, and Vale's attacking gradually became less effective.

But they refused to lie down despite Mendonca's 23rd goal of the season, and Jansson cracked a 20-yarder against a post nine minutes from time.

Teams

Port Vale: Musselwhite, Carragher (Corden 77), Tankard, Bogie, Glover, Barnett, Ainsworth, Talbot, Mills, Naylor (Foyle 81), Jansson.

Subs Not Used: Porter.

Booked: Talbot, Jansson.

Charlton: Ilic, Mills, Barness, K. Jones, Rufus (Brown 40), Youds, Newton, Kinsella, S. Jones, Mendonca, Heaney (Mortimer 60), Mortimer (Emblen 87).

Booked: Youds.

Goals: Mendonca 73 pen.

Att: 9,973

Ref: E K Wolstenholme (Blackburn).